This New Year is for Editing
We’ve finally left 2025, and now it’s the first day of 2026.
I know I’ve been MIA for the past couple of months but, here’s what happened in my life while I was gone:
I participated in an art trend, which I don’t usually do, but art trends always look fun.
I spent my 9th wedding anniversary with my husband at a B&B in a remote Virginia town known for its natural warm springs.
My cat went to where all the good cats go when they pass away. RIP Jakey.
I closed the RFP process at work, which made me feel like a fully functioning adult.
I accomplished my 2025 reading goals of 1 book a month!
I’ve discovered my love for miniatures, particularly the book nook kind.
I finished my novel. YAY!
Right before 2025 ended, I hit a realization. It happened to me during our end-of-year happy hour at work. I was sitting at a long table with my colleagues, barely catching every and any conversation amidst the noise in the crowded Irish bar.
We were talking about a co-worker’s potential proposal happening just around the corner. A VP at work turned to me and asked, “Dannah, when did you get married? At 12?”
“Oh, Dannah’s lived a thousand lives,” another colleague chimed in.
Then, the true question was finally asked, “How old are you?”
I’m 35 (turning 36 in 18 days)! This conversation wasn’t the first time. For almost 17 years in the workforce, people still mistake me for being younger than I look.
This is not me bragging about having genes that help me look youthful. This is truly about the experience I have when it comes to the perception of older co-workers and how they treat me. I’ve been in a room several times where older people tend to overlook me because they think I’m an early twenty-something. It’s sometimes frustrating. After all, I have expertise in what I do because I worked there for so long, and I do know.
It also doesn’t help that I get along with the younger crowd (as much as I get along with folks my age and older), especially when I’m new at the job. But that’s just me. I don’t see people based on their age. Everyone can learn, I know I did, and everyone has knowledge in their trades because it’s what they do.
Anyway, my dream was never to be a manager, a director, or a VP of anything. I am here to earn a living because there’s something else I want to do more, and that is to write books.
And gosh darn, I finally finished the longest manuscript I’ve ever written in my entire like: All 114,000 words.
I’m so proud of myself for getting another manuscript down. This is year 5 of me finishing a manuscript.
However, 2026 isn’t going to be another year of writing. 2026 will be the year of the edits.
I’m giving myself some space to breathe this year and focus on refining the craft.
I have a whole plan for this entire manuscript, from self-editing and hiring an editor to querying and publishing. It just depends on where it will be, and I’ll adjust along the way.
But if you’re curious what my manuscript is about, here’s how I describe it:
Bygone is a speculative fiction romance set in the distant future of post-apocalyptic Northern Virginia, following a woman who wakes up with no memories and strange new powers.
I’ve pulled inspiration from other stories I know, but if you have titles that remind you of this, let me know! I need comp titles! haha!
Romantasy is big nowadays and while I enjoy that genre blend, I wanted to see more sci-fi romance. There’s a good chunk of sci-fi romance novels out there, but I’m looking for less interspecies stuff, if you catch my meaning.
So, I decided to write one that I would read, and hopefully others would be interested in reading as well!
With that, I'm hoping 2026 will be a good one for me, and of course, for you!
Happy New Year and cheers!
